The Maine is a pop-punk outfit whose fun lyrics and bouncy rock style brought it together in a right-place-at-the-right-time moment five years ago.

“Basically Pat (Kirch, drums) and Garrett (Nickelsen, bass) were in a previous band together,” guitarist Kennedy Brock says. “And when that band split up, Pat’s older brother (Tim, manager of The Maine) was good friends with other musicians like John (O’Callaghan, vocals) and Jared (Monaco, guitar) in the surrounding areas. We had all been around in the same scene at the same time and it just kind of happened.”

It could have been destiny that pulled these Tempe, Ariz., natives together, because ever since the group formed it’s rocketed up the hill of success. It has released two full-length albums since forming: _Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop_ and _Black & White_ , each producing several singles. The band is currently readying a new one.

“We just finished recording a new album,” Brock says. “Right now, we’re trying to nail down the fine tunings of when it’s coming out and how.”

The title for the much-awaited new album is _Pioneer_, and the band and its fans alike are eager for its release. During the current tour the band has been playing a new song tentatively called “Ice Cave” and so far the fans’ reactions to new material has been positive, Brock says.

The fans are an obvious positive aspect to tour life, but living on the road has many more attributes than the fan interaction.

“We travel with a really good group of guys, both our band and crew, and I feel like it’s really easy to tour with an easygoing group of people,” Brock says.

The Maine is currently on tour with Taking Back Sunday and Bad Rabbits, and the show will be stopping by Columbia on Sunday night.

“We’ve never met Bad Rabbits or Taking Back Sunday prior to this tour, but they’re all really good guys. It’s great,” Brock says.

Touring is a major part of a successful music career, and despite the strain it puts on some young musicians, The Maine seems to strive off of the ever-changing environment and constant fan support.

“We’re going to the U.K. in January with a band called All Time Low,” Brock says. “And then right before that we’ll be in Brazil on our own, so we’re really excited about that.”

“It’s kind of crazy,” Brock says. “I think we all went out on the first couple tours not knowing if it was going to be something we were really doing, and we’re kind of just going with it and seeing where it takes us.”

The Maine is taking these five guys from Arizona much farther than they ever could have imagined, and the ride seems to be far from over.

The Maine will open for Taking Back Sunday at at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at The Blue Note.